Kochi: The shoddily built flyover in the heart of Ernakulam town could be restored without dismantling it entirely.
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) principal advisor E Sreedharan has said that only one-third of the faulty Palarivattom flyover has to pulled down and rebuilt.
"The faulty spans have to be replaced. Girders with more number of cracks have to be replaced with pre-stressed girders," he said.
The flyover had developed cracks within three months of its commissioning in 2016. The LDF government had deputed Sreedharan to conduct a study on the bridge on June 17.
"As the pillars and the foundation do not have any faults, there is no need to demolish the entire flyover and rebuilt it. But about 30 to 35 per cent of the bridge has to be rebuilt. Problems have been spotted in about 30 per cent of the bridge. The faulty parts have to be rebuilt and the rest have to be only strengthened,” Sreedharan, who is known as the Metro Man, said.
As per the Kerala government's request, a team of experts led by Sreedharan had assessed the faulty flyover. In his report to the state government, Sreedharan made it clear that as there were serious structural problems with the flyover, restoration of the bridge was necessary.
He even recommended that vehicles should not be allowed to ply on the flyover till the restoration works were completed.
About Rs 18.5 crore is needed for the maintenance works to be carried out in a 10-month period.
This was for the first time that Sreedharan was talking to the media on the flyover after handing over the report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. However, the government is waiting for the final report from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Madras. The report is likely to be submitted by July end.
Meanwhile, a Vigilance team conducted inspections on the bridge on Friday. Evidence gathering was carried out as part of checking the documents related to construction.
After competing evidence gathering, the Vigilance would begin the second phase of questioning.
The Vigilance has made a list of 17 people to be questioned, including officials at RDS Projects (the contracting firm), RBDCK, and the KITCO.
